Heck yes-putty scrapers are great for wallpaper removal, but you gotta use the right one and prep first. Let me tell you how I did it when I stripped the wallpaper in my living room last year.
First, you need a wide putty scraper-6 to 8 inches. A narrow one'll take forever, and you'll end up with sore arms. I used an 8-inch stainless steel scraper, and it cut the time in half compared to my small 3-inch one. The wide blade lets you peel off big strips of wallpaper at once-so satisfying!
But here's the key: you can't just scrape dry wallpaper. It'll tear into tiny pieces, and you'll be picking at it forever. You need to soften the wallpaper first. I filled a spray bottle with warm water and a little dish soap, sprayed the wallpaper until it was damp, and let it sit for 10 minutes. The water soaks into the paper and the glue, making it easy to scrape off. I tried scraping dry wallpaper once-big mistake. I ended up with paper bits all over the floor, and my arm was sore for days.
Another tip: angle the scraper gently-about 30 degrees. If you hold it too steep, you'll scrape off the drywall underneath (I did that once, had to patch a hole-total pain). Start at the edge of the wallpaper, slide the scraper under, and pull slowly. If you hit a tough spot, spray more water and wait a little longer.
And if the wallpaper has a vinyl top layer? Peel that off first (it usually comes off in big strips), then spray the paper underneath.
I finished my living room wallpaper in 2 hours with my putty scraper-way easier than I thought. Just remember: wide scraper + wet wallpaper = no more ugly old paper.
